The Rural Broadband Access Loan and Loan Guarantee Program furnishes loans and loan guarantees to provide funds for the costs of construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment needed to provide service at the broadband lending speed as outlined in the Federal Register.

What’s New

Critical Access Hospitals Measure up for Quality. Quality improvement efforts by Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) were recognized on Wednesday with awards to the ten states achieving the highest reporting rates for quality over the past year. Through their state-level participation in FORHP’s Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility (Flex) grant program, the ten awardees – Wisconsin, Maine, Utah, Minnesota, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nebraska, Indiana and Massachusetts – supported their CAHs by providing technical assistance resources and sharing best practices for quality improvement. Under the Flex program, low-volume hospitals take on quality improvement initiatives in the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project (MBQIP) and voluntarily report on quality measures relevant to the care they provide.

Awards for Radiation Exposure Screening and Education. FORHP recently awarded approximately $1.6 million over a three-year project period to support outreach services to individuals affected by nuclear weapons testing that took place from 1945 to 1962, impacting 12 Southwestern states and exposing tens of thousands of uranium miners, truck drivers and desert-dwellers known as “downwinders” to radiation. The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) was instituted in 1990 to compensate affected people and the act was broadened in 2000 to include the Radiation Exposure Screening and Education Program (RESEP). Many downwinders, former uranium industry workers, and participants who were onsite for testing are now deceased but may have surviving family members who are eligible for compensation. The eight RESEP grantees recently awarded will disseminate information on radiogenic diseases and the importance of early detection, screen eligible individuals for the diseases and cancers that result from radiation exposure, and provide referrals for medical treatment. A priority for these organizations is to assist with the filing of new RECA claims.

THERE IS STILL TIME FOR YOU TO GET REGISTERED FOR THE MISSOURI RURAL HEALTH CONFERENCE!

This year the Missouri Rural Health Association, Missouri Hospital Association, Missouri Primary Care Association and the Missouri Dept. of Health & Senior Services, Office of Primary Care, as Collaborating Partners, invite you to attend our joint 2017 Conference. The Conference is Scheduled for August 15-17, 2017 at The Lodge at Old Kinderhook, Camdenton, Missouri.

This year’s conference focus continues with access to care to improve health outcomes of rural residents. New this year, will be workshops to include special focus for FQHC clinics and rural hospitals. Coming together to learn, understand, and build bridges, breaking down barriers and increase health access for all. Our expected audience will include Health Care providers, Community front line & in-home workers, Social Service Agencies, Public Health, Mobility Managers & Coordinators, Policy Makers and Transportation Professionals to name a few.

Please find attached our conference packet with all our most current information and registration forms for your convenience. You may also visit our website for more information as it becomes available at www.morha.org under the Education and Training Tab for 2017 Missouri Rural Health Conference. Online registration is open at this clickable link: https://www.morha.org/?event=missouri-rural-health-conference. We will be sending out newsletters periodically through constant contact to keep you up-to-date.

IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF LODGING THE GROUP RATE DEADLINE IS JULY 16th, so please make arrangements quickly to insure availability! Call direct to 1-888-346-4949 with group code “170814MRHA”. If you encounter any hotel difficulties, please call Paige Jones direct at 573-317-3552.

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH ALL YOUR CONTACTS AND VENDORS TO SPREAD THE WORD! YOUR HELP AND SUPPORT ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED. WE HAVE A GREAT PROGRAM PLANNED AND WE HOPE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO JOIN US FOR THIS EVENT.